Various media reports, such as this piece in the Mirror, have reported that Tottenham's Technical Director Franco Baldini is to step down at the end of the current transfer window.

Baldini was appointed with some fanfare in 2013, coming as he did with experience as an assistant manager of England when Fabio Capello was in charge, and extensive continental knowledge as a director at Roma and Real Madrid.

Then manager Andre Villas-Boas was open to bringing someone in as director who would in part oversee the transfers and departures from the club.

That summer saw the club's, and reportedly the world's, biggest ever sale when Gareth Bale left for Real Madrid, giving Spurs and Baldini a big pot of cash to spend on the side.

He had mixed results then to say the least, and in general there can be questions asked of plenty of the players he brought in.

The Mirror says that he had less input in transfers since Mauricio Pochettino took over last summer, but as a director he would have still been a valued voice in both the boardroom and the dressing room.

Below we look at the purchases Spurs have made since Baldini arrived at the club, rating them a hit, miss, or a jury's out, while sales of the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Iago Falque are easy to highlight as poor choices through hindsight.

Paulinho - MISS - On paper the Brazilian looked a good buy, but he never seemed to suit the English game, despite comparisons to Frank Lampard, and even taking a big loss on the 27-year-old seemed like a success story this summer.

Nacer Chadli - HIT - The Belgian has grown into a key goal threat since arriving at White Hart Lane, and may well end up moonlighting as a striker this season unless more forwards are brought in.

Roberto Soldado - MISS - Try as hard as he might, Soldado just hasn't been able to replicate his La Liga form in the Premier League. At all. Looking at his record, he should have been a star, but then factoring in how Spurs were playing at the time, it didn't look like the perfect fit a player with his price tag should have been.

Etienne Capoue - MISS - It will be interesting to see how the Frenchman does at Watford. Of the 'Magnificent Seven' that have been sold, he had the most reasonable performances and is the only one staying in England. Still, he couldn't be called a hit.

Vlad Chiriches - MISS - An entertaining purchase, if not for the right reasons. Somewhere in there is a good player, there's just a lot of handballs and defensive mistakes to get past first. Sold to Napoli this summer.

Christian Eriksen - HIT - The one player from this summer who impressed immediately, and has continued to do so. Had a mini slump in the second half of last season, but he's a class act, and vital part of the current side.

Erik Lamela - MISS - Close to being a 'jury's out' after a strong end to last season, the talented Argentinian is labelled a miss purely as a result of the size of his transfer fee. For that amount of money, he should have been one of the best players in the league upon his arrival, but in truth he hasn't been anywhere like that and has rarely been Tottenham's best player in matches.

2014/15:

Ben Davies - JURY'S OUT - 2014 wasn't a good summer for talented left backs moving clubs. The likes of Davies, Luke Shaw and Alberto Moreno all moved for big money and all struggled. The best thing that the Welshman did last season was get Danny Rose to play a whole load better, but given his age, he could yet prove a decent buy in himself.

Michel Vorm - MISS - Vorm was signed to be top class understudy to Hugo Lloris, and possibly even with the chance that he could easily come in if the Frenchman was sold. The Dutchman has been way off his Swansea form though, and his recent mistake against Real Madrid highlighted how he would be a big risk in any important game.

Eric Dier - HIT - An unexpected hit, on account of his low transfer fee and also because of the speed with which he took to Premier League football. You can't go wrong with a winner away to West Ham on your debut. Looks a great player (but not at central midfield) and it's crazy that he didn't go to the European Under-21 Championships this summer.

DeAndre Yedlin - JURY'S OUT - Very little has been seen of the US international, but considering the modest fee paid for his services, and the talent he has demonstrated in friendlies and international matches, he's certainly still capable of being good business.

Federico Fazio - MISS - Tottenham had been crying out for a top class central defender to come in alongside Jan Vertonghen, so what did they do? They signed a taller, slower version of Michael Dawson who repeatedly got shown up last season. May end up being fifth choice central defender this season.

Benjamin Stambouli - MISS - If he was still at the club, could possibly be a 'jury's out', but clearly wasn't a good fit for the team, and has been sold on after just one year, so would have to be labelled a miss.

Che Thomas

Che is an Englishman abroad unable to cut the apron strings tying him to the crazy world of English football. As a writer and freelance journalist, he has covered matches and cultural events from across the globe all with the intention to inform, entertain and provoke debate. Just as smitten with music, film, and photography, though fully aware of the fact that nothing takes the place of that Saturday afternoon excitement down at N17 (even when it's actually on a Sunday!)